Irish Wishing Well

It is quiet and peaceful at my home in America. The sounds I hear on this crisp winter day are the birds singing in the trees, the mail truck gently screeching to a halt on its rounds and the ringing of the telephone. The sky is a lovely eggshell blue but I know that while it is sheltering me, Russian rockets are slashing through the cloudy skies of Ukraine. My normality is deceptive. CNN reporters describe a world rocked by war.

While listening to the sanctions being announced by the Biden administration, I wondered what Ireland, the land of a thousand welcomes, is doing to help those who find themselves suddenly the victims of this unjust war. I read in The Irish Times that hundreds of Irish and Ukrainian protestors as well as those from other East European countries demonstrated in south Dublin, outside the residence and embassy of Yury Filatov, Russia’s ambassador to Ireland. I have also learned that Ireland, like other members of the European Union, has closed its airspace to Russian planes. (The United States, EU, and United Kingdom have blocked certain Russian banks from SWIFT, which is an international payment system used by many financial institutions. Russia’s central bank will also face new restrictions to keep it from using international reserves to circumvent sanctions.)

Also, according to BBC News, Ireland will be taking more of a nonviolent, yet critical approach. “Irish broadcaster RTÉ [Ireland’s National Public Service Media] later quoted an Irish government spokesperson as saying Ireland would not take part in the financing of weapons to Ukraine, deciding to abstain in line with commitments made in the current Programme for Government, negotiated between [political parties] Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party. Instead, the government will contribute €9m [euros] (£7.53m) [pound sterling] [This is roughly 9,975,960.00 U.S. dollars.] to the non-lethal EU fund aiding Ukrainian forces. This will include helmets, medical equipment, blood and fuel.”

Tánaiste Leo Varadkar also reflected that stance, saying, Ireland will not be sending weapons to Ukraine as “we are a militarily neutral country..”

"We're not politically neutral, but we are neutral in military terms and that means that we don't commit troops for combat in wars and it also means that we don't provide weapons to anyone and that is part of our doctrine of military neutrality," he said.

Politically, Irish Minister for European Affairs Thomas Byrne said that Ireland would back Ukraine’s candidacy to be a member of the European Union. (Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has officially signed an application for Ukraine's membership in the EU.) The expulsion of Russian diplomats from EU countries is also a possibility according to Mr. Byrne.

Ireland will, however, be welcoming Ukrainians. Minister for Justice Helen McEntee confirmed that visa requirements for travel to Ireland from Ukraine are being lifted as a show of solidarity with the Ukrainian people, giving refugees a 90 day window to assert their status. According to The Irish Times, “Among its aims is to streamline and support the swift exit of both the Ukrainian family members of Irish citizens, and the family members of people from Ukraine who are resident in Ireland.” According to RTÉ there were as many as 145 Irish citizens in Ukraine. Ms. McEntee said that 143 Ukrainians have entered Ireland since a visa requirement was waived, but that many are already residents in Ireland and "have travelled back to the State for reasons other than escaping the conflict in Ukraine.”

Leonid Shapoval, a five-year-old Ukrainian boy with leukemia, is among the newly arrived refugees. He was due to get a bone marrow transplant on March 10 in Kyiv, but his doctors told him and his family to run, that the precarious situation in the country made treatment impossible, according to his mother's aunt, Victoria Walden, who lives in Cork. Michael Collins, the independent Teachta Dála (TD), (a position equivalent to a Congressman in the United States) for Cork South West, was involved in the rescue effort along with officials from the department of foreign affairs. (There is a Gofundme page to raise money for the boy’s treatment.)

Still, the Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney said the EU believes there could be one million refugees and Ireland could end up taking 2 percent or 20,000 people. The EU is “likely to activate the Temporary Protection Directive," which could simplify arrival procedures and provide a temporary residency to refugees that could extend to three years. This unprecedented measure would involve "an immediate right to access of the labour market, housing, social welfare, healthcare, education, training and other supports.”

Ukrainians coming to Ireland will have special refugee status and will work and live in Ireland as EU citizens, according to Mr. Coveney. While some will temporarily be staying in hotels, the Government's International Protection Accommodation Service will find housing for the displaced people. The Minister for Foreign Affairs also said the number of refugees may be “beyond what the State could provide.” Irish families may need to temporarily open their homes to those fleeing the war.

However, there are some Ukrainians who are leaving Ireland and heading to the war zone. They are joining the civilian resistance, after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked for volunteers to help fight Russia. Members of the Ukrainian community in Ireland as well as Irish citizens have supplied these men with flak jackets, helmets, sleeping bags, batteries and money. The RTÉ interviewed some of these men, including Vadym Binko, at the Dublin Airport, while he was saying goodbye to his wife, young son and daughter.

"I have lived in Ireland for over 20 years. I love Ireland. My kids are Irish and my wife is here too. But Ukraine for me is my house as well," he said.

Meanwhile, Trinity College Dublin has issued a statement about the war. It reads, in part,“Trinity College Dublin condemns the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation and stands in solidarity with the Ukrainian people at this most difficult time. A peaceful resolution to the conflict is needed.” The prestigious college goes on to offer support to members of its community affected by the crisis.

In the statement, Trinity identifies as a European university, “with many ties to sister universities.” It also reveals that it’s a University of Sanctuary, which is an accreditation given to schools who contribute “to the delivery of institutional strategies relating to equality, diversity, inclusivity, social responsibility, and sustainability. It also enriches campus life and academic discussion by bringing new perspectives and cultures together.“

The college also states that they are a member of Scholars at Risk. The network of 580 higher learning institutions around the world provides: temporary academic positions at member universities and colleges, safety to scholars facing serious threats, advisory services, campaigns for scholars who are imprisoned or silenced in their homeland, monitoring of attacks on higher education communities, and strategies for promoting academic freedom. Toward the end of their statement, Trinity College Dublin wrote in Irish, “Ní neart go cur le chéile,” which means, “There's no strength without unity.” Beside it are the words, “Trinity stands with Ukraine.”